The Ferret Scout Car was
of British origin and, in 1960, replaced the Centurion tank in the
4th/19th Prince of Wales Light Horse. The Ferret was armed with a .30
cal Browning machine gun, a six cylinder Rolls Royce petrol motor,
weighed 3.75 tons, could reach speeds of 60 mph and had a crew of two.
This introduction of new equipment also signalled a shift in the role of
the 4th/19th Prince of Wales Light Horse to reconnaissance. The Ferret
proved to be an ideal vehicle to undertake this role, having a low
profile and being a quiet vehicle. The later generation of the Ferret
Scout Car had some modifications, including a turret.

British armoured scout car. Ferret
was developed by the Daimler company in 1949, production began in
1952 and continued until 1971, during which time some 4500 were
built. As well as being used by the British Army, they have been
adopted by 36 other countries.

The Ferret is basically a four-wheeled car with
an all-welded steel body. The driver sits in the front of the
hull, the centre is the commander's compartment, and the engine
and transmission are at the rear. Used in every internal security
campaign from Malaya/Malaysia through Aden and Cyprus to Ulster,
it is a fast and handy vehicle and one of the few AFV's that is
politically acceptable to use on the streets.

The
Staghound Armoured Car was of American origin and, together with
the Ferret Scout Car, replaced the Centurion tank in the 4th/19th
Prince of Wales Light Horse. It was armed with a 37mm gun, a GMC
Chevrolet twin six cylinder petrol motor, weighed 12 tons, could
reach speeds of 55 mph and had a crew of five.

It offered the 4th/19th Prince
of Wales Light Horse, which had just taken on the reconnaissance
role, a vehicle capable of conducting effective reconnaissance,
but at the same time able to extricate itself from trouble if
required.

History

The Staghound was the product of
a joint effort in 1942 by British and American military staff, to
draw up specifications for an armoured car. Approximately 3,000 of
the original design were produced. A further 1,000 anti-aircraft
models (mounting twin .50 cal Browning Mg.) were also
manufactured. The standard vehicle T17 El was named the Staghound
and was a 4 x 4 car with a turret mounting a 37mm gun. Some
vehicles were subsequently refitted with a 3in tank howitzer for
infantry close support.

Australian Service
History

The first vehicles (182) were
received in May 1944, and the total number received by August
1944, amounted to 279 vehicles. The 1st. Australian Armoured Car
Squadron was part Australia's contribution to the British
Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF), Japan. This Unit was formed
at Puckapunyal on 21 January 1946 and sailed for Japan in April of
that year. The Unit returned to Australia in December 1948 and was
subsequently renamed the 1st Armoured Regiment, so becoming the
first armoured unit in the Australian Regular Army.

Both 1/15 RNSWL and 12/16 HRL
began using the Staghound as a training vehicle from 1956. It was
also used by other CMF (Reserve) Armoured Units namely 10th Light
Horse W.A. By 1964, the Staghound was being replaced by other
vehicles, for by that time, it was no longer capable as operating
as an effective combat vehicle

The
Saladin Armoured Car was introduced into the 4th/19th Prince of
Wales Light Horse during the period 1965 – 1966. It was of
British origin and was armed with a 76mm gun and a coaxial .30 cal
machine gun. Its power plant was a Rolls Royce petrol motor,
bringing the total vehicle weight to 10.5 tons.

The vehicle could reach
speeds of 45 mph and had a crew of three. This vehicle offered
greater firepower and mobility than had been previously provided
by the Staghound Armoured Car and was effective in its
reconnaissance role.

The
Saracen Armoured Personnel Carrier was introduced into the 4th/19th
Prince of Wales Light Horse at the same time as the Saladin Armoured
Car, from 1965 – 1966.

It provided the unit with the ability to
move personnel (such as Assault Troopers) within an armoured vehicle
and signalled a change in role towards transporting personnel around
the battlefield.

It weighed 10 tons and
could reach a top speed of 70km/h. It had a crew of two, could carry 10
personnel and was armed with a .30 cal machine gun. It complemented the
capability of the sabre troops, which were equipped with two Ferret Scout
Cars, two Saladin Armoured Cars and a Saracen Armoured Personnel Carrier.

The
F.V. 603 Saracen is an armoured personnel carrier based on the
six-wheeled chassis of the Saladin armoured car. The specification
for the Saracen was issued after that of the Saladin, but the
vehicle had to be rushed into service first, because British troops
engaged in the Malayan Emergency needed the armoured personnel
carrier more urgently. Firing ports in the sides and rear doors
theoretically enable the rifle section to fight mounted, but it is
policy that the infantry dismount when in action, in which case the
Saracen provides fire support with its turreted .30 calibre machine
gun. A ring mounted light machine gun is available for air defence.
Three variants of the Saracen exist: the Mk.1 has a smaller turret
than the two subsequent marks, the Mk.2 received the turret of the
Ferret armoured car, and the Mk.3 is a Mk.2 fitted with a reverse
flow cooling system (R.F.C.) designed for use in the Middle East.

White Scout Car.
White Motor Company first began producing these armoured vehicles in
1938. They were based on White's then current commercial truck
chassis. The M3 filled the Army's need for a fast, agile, and light armoured
scouting vehicle.

Intended to replace the
venerable White Scout Car, and to a lesser extent half-tracks, in Canadian
units, the C15TA Armoured Truck was Canada's answer to the need for a
four-wheel drive, wheeled armoured personnel carrier. After production
commenced in 1943, 3961 examples were made, and as a result of the design
experience gained with the Otter and Fox armoured cars, the C15TA required
virtually no modifications throughout it's production run. With it's short
wheelbase and excellent cross-country mobility, the Armoured Truck was
enthusiastically received by it's users, ranging from signals units to
motor battalions and armoured car regiments. Designed to carry eight fully
equipped troops to forward battle areas, it was also easily convertible to
an ambulance configuration simply by folding the seats and attaching
brackets and tie-downs to hold two stretchers in place. In fact, this
configuration was so well received that a dedicated ambulance version,
capable of handling four stretchers was produced by the end of 1944.

Performance trials held in
1962 – 63 resulted in the adoption of the US family of light armoured
vehicles and gave the Army its first modern armoured and tracked vehicle
for ten years. The M113 had a GMC two stroke diesel engine, weighed 11
tons, was amphibious and could reach speeds of 40 mph. The M113 was
designed to carry ten riflemen with their equipment in addition to the
crew of two and gave protection against small arms fire. The original
model carried a .50 cal machine gun on a pintle mount, which lacked
protection for the commander when firing. The Armoured Personnel Carriers
(APCs) taken to Vietnam had a bullet proof shield fitted which gave some
protection. The danger resulting from mortar fire prompted turrets to be
fitted. A number of American M74C turrets were ordered and introduced into
service during the second half of 1966. A further improvement, the T50
turret, which was also American, eventually became the standard turret
during the period 1967 – 68. The T50 turret was a basic design and
mounted either one .50 cal and one .30 cal machine gun or twin .30 cal
machine guns, with the twin .30 cal machine gun being the initial standard
fit. The most prized characteristic of the M113 was its mobility over
various types of ground. The family of vehicles included the personnel
carrier, mortar carrier, command vehicle, fitters vehicle, recovery
vehicle and ambulance, all of which were employed in the 2nd Cavalry
Regiment.

During the
period that the Regiment was equipped with the M113, further unique
Australian variants were developed and introduced. The loss of
firepower in a troop following the withdrawal of the Saladin
Armoured Car was overcome by the development of the Fire Support
Vehicle (FSV).

The FSV was an interim vehicle
which was a combination of the M113 hull with a Saladin turret. The
FSV had a 76mm main armament, a .30 cal coaxial machine gun and a
.30 cal machine gun. There was power assisted traverse, the
commander had no sight and night fighting was achieved by firing on
fixed lines or with active illumination.

The Medium Reconnaissance
Vehicle (MRV) see photo
replaced the FSV after the Army took delivery of 36 Scorpion
turrets in 1977. The MRV was also an interim vehicle, which had a Scorpion
turret fitted to an M113 hull. The MRV had a 76mm main armament, two .30
cal machine guns and an early image intensification night sight. The MRV
was also fitted with flotation pods to make it amphibious. By 1978 the MRV
had completely replaced the FSV in the Regiment.